Modi: US visa denial in 2005 was insult of an elected government | India News – Times of India


Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a podcast with Nikhil Kamath, in Delhi. (PTI Photo)

NEW DELHI: PM Modi said the decision of US authorities to cancel his visa was taken on the basis of “falsehoods” peddled by some people and it rankled with him because it was an insult to a democratically elected govt and the country as a whole.
“Visiting the US as a private citizen was not material to me. But I was the chief minister, heading a democratically elected govt and this was an insult to a democratically elected govt and the country. It troubled me. Some people peddled falsehoods…” Modi said during a conversation with Nikhil Kamath, co-founder of online trading platform Zerodha, in a podcast.
“But when I addressed a press conference…I said I can visualise a day when people will be queuing up for Indian visas. I said that in 2005… I can clearly see that India’s time has come,” he said in his debut on a podcast, a medium politicians across the world are banking on to get their message across.
The US cancelled the visa of Modi on the basis of allegations about his complicity in the communal riots that erupted after 59 kar sevaks on Sabarmati Express were burnt to death in Godhra. An SC-monitored probe cleared Modi of the charge.
May make mistakes, but won’t do so with bad intentions: PM
Modi touched upon the Godhra arson attack, saying he was deeply anguished by the ghastly sight but was obligated to rise above his emotions. “It was a painful sight. There were dead bodies everywhere, but I knew I am in a post where I have to rise above my emotions. I tried to keep myself together,” he said.
He acknowledged that while humans could make mistakes, they should not act with harmful intentions. “When I became CM, in one of my speeches, I had said that I will leave no stone unturned in my efforts. Second, I will not do anything for myself. Third, I am a human, I may make mistakes, but I will not make mistakes with bad intentions. I made them my life’s mantras. It is natural to make mistakes, after all I am a human, I am not God, but will not do wrong intentionally,” he said.
The free-wheeling conversation covered Modi’s personality as well as important episodes through his career, with Kamath prodding the PM on whether he was a risk-taker, and on parallels, if any, between politics and entrepreneurship, and high entry barrier facing those wishing to join politics.
Modi described himself as a risk-taker, emphasising that he could afford to take more risks because he “does not have anything personal at stake”. “My risk-taking ability is several times more and I have not exhausted my risk-taking capacity yet,” he said. At another point, Modi said while he was not immune to anxieties, he could handle them better. “Definitely, such situations arise… but everyone has a different style and capacity to face such situations,” he said.
Asked if he factored in worst-case scenarios while taking important calls, Modi said, “I have never thought about life or death, those who lead calculated lives may feel so. When I became CM, I was surprised how I ended up there because that was not the trajectory I had chosen.” He recalled his desire to become a sanyasi and a monk with Ramakrishna Mission as well as his wanderings in the Himalayas and in the salt deserts of Kutch. “My background is such that my mother would have distributed sweets in the entire locality if I had become a teacher,” he said.





Source link

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *